in the previous section we have worked -implicitly- with one logger, the root logger. we can refer to it explicitly by specifying the 'logger' parameter in our function calls. the name of the root logger is the empty string. this also explains that "::" in the messages sent to the console, between the first and the second ":" there's the name of the logger that is associated to the log record shown.
R> with(getLogger(logger=''), names(handlers))
[1] "basic.stdout"
R> with(getLogger('libro'), names(handlers))
NULL
when issuing a logging record, you can specify to which logger you want to send it. loggers are created when first needed, so we can just assume all loggers we need also exist. the logger will offer it to all its attached handlers and then pass it to its parent logger. loggers are organized hierarchically, in a way that is similar to the way directories are organized.
just as directories contain files, loggers contain handlers and their name is, within the logger, unique. also similarly than to directories, all loggers have one parent, except the root logger that has none. the name of the logger specifies the location of the logger in this hierarchy. an example will hopefully clarify.
let's start from scratch, either a brand new R session or by resetting the logging system.
R> logReset()
R> addHandler(writeToConsole, logger='libro.romanzo')
R> loginfo('Ma cos\'è questo amore?', logger='libro.romanzo.campanile')
2010-04-08 11:18:59 INFO:libro.romanzo.campanile:Ma cos'è questo amore?
R> loginfo('Se la luna mi porta fortuna', logger='libro.romanzo.campanile')
2010-04-08 11:19:05 INFO:libro.romanzo.campanile:Se la luna mi porta fortuna
R> loginfo('Giovanotti, non esageriamo!', logger='libro.romanzo.campanile')
2010-04-08 11:19:12 INFO:libro.romanzo.campanile:Giovanotti, non esageriamo!
R> loginfo('memories of a survivor', logger='libro.romanzo.lessing')
2010-04-08 11:22:06 INFO:libro.romanzo.lessing:memories of a survivor
R> logwarn('talking to a hierarchically upper logger', logger='libro')
R> logerror('talking to an unrelated logger', logger='rivista.cucina')
R>
notice that loggers are automatically defined by the simple action of naming them. what happened above is that the handler we created, attached to the 'libro.romanzo' logger, only saw the records going to the loggers below its logger. all records going to hierarchically upper loggers or to unrelated loggers are not logged, regardless of their severity.
also notice that the text printed doesn't contain any more that "::". between the two ":" there's the name of the logger that received the logging record in the first place.